Power On Water

A short film commissioned by the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery, Power On Water profiles world class Paralympic swimmer Tammy Cunnington from Red Deer, AB. The story is a powerful portrait of her life, her passion for sport and her single-minded focus on getting to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.

Tammy Cunnington burst on the international stage in 2015 with a triple medal performance at the Parapan American Games in Toronto and a seventh place in the 50-m freestyle at the IPC World Championships. She also posted four personal bests at April 2016 at the Canadian para-swimming trials.

Cunnington was six years old when she was struck by an airplane at a Ponoka, Alta., air show in April 1982. The accident left her a paraplegic with the full use of her right arm, plus her core and shoulders.

Tammy Cunnington sends a strong message of perseverance against all odds. 2 years prior to the games in Rio she didn’t know how to swim Butterfly and Freestyle. Her husband Marty Piffer among others are in the film to give support and context to her story of passion.

The film recaps Tammy’s journey to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio and the enormous challenges she faced getting there. The film can be viewed on demand inside the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery’s history exhibit “Remarkable Red Deer: Stories from the Heart of the Parkland” during gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 10:00am to 4:30pm and weekends 12:00pm-4:30pm. The galleries are free to visit.